Roberto Melaragno is known as the Driver In Italy. His company based in Rome has been reaching out to the U.S. traveler for many years. Roberto has been recognized as a tourism authority on Italy. He told eTN: 2016 was a good year for touring in Rome and Italy, and therefore a great year for Driver In Italy. In a world with many geopolitical disturbances (it could happen anywhere), Italy managed to escape the horrible events that hit France, Belgium and other countries. We feel that tourists...
eTN reader Birgit Trauer is the founding director of The Cultural Angle which was born out of her desire to continue to share her passion for human interaction and connection and her insights into travel and tourism, drawing on her extensive experience spanning more than 20 years in industry and academia. The Cultural Angle is a boutique consultancy that promotes increased understanding, appreciation, and welcome of diversity among all travelers as well as travel, tourism, hospitality, and...
Today, Travel Leaders Group revealed the results of its 2017 Business Travel Trends Survey, which indicates that there is no slowing down for business travel. According to the survey, 86% of Travel Leaders Group’s business travel-focused agents are reporting that they expect bookings to remain as high or higher than the same time last year. The participating travel agents also noted that while business travelers’ top concerns are travel logistics, ranging from delayed or canceled...
Following a competitive process, Dubai Airports, operator of Dubai International (DXB), the world’s busiest international airport and Dubai World Central (DWC), has awarded a 10-year parking concession to Saudi-based National Parking Company (Mawgif) to manage, operate and maintain all car parks at both the airports. The agreement, which will see Mawgif deploy its state of the art parking access control and payment technology at all locations at DXB and DWC, as well as airport employee parking...
What is “service?” What really defines “service?” What does it mean when it comes to serving the billions of local, regional and international travelers of the world? Especially at a time of year when the world’s travelling community seems to be on the move to be able to be with what, and who, is most important to them? Expectations of exceptional service delivery perfectly reflect expectations of Santa showing up exactly at midnight, everywhere, for everyone. The term “service” has become a...
Emirates has enhanced comfort in the air with a host of exclusive, new products introduced to its First and Business Class cabins. Customers will travel in luxury with new additions including First Class lounge wear, luxury blankets, skincare from VOYA and a new range of amenity kits from Bulgari. Emirates’ ongoing investment in product reinforces its emphasis on comfort, enhancing the travel experience. The airline has partnered with experts in their respective fields and no attention to...
Air Canada President and Chief Executive Officer, Calin Rovinescu, today announced the appointment of Lucie Guillemette, previously Senior Vice President, Revenue Optimization, as Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer.Ms. Guillemette is based at the airline’s Montreal headquarters, joins the Executive Committee and continues to report to Benjamin Smith, President, Passenger Airlines. “Lucie has continuously demonstrated her drive for excellence throughout her almost...
Embraer today announced the creation of a business unit focused on services and customer support, which will be led by Johann Bordais, who is currently serving as the Director of Services and Support for Embraer Commercial Aviation. “The new business will bring together capabilities that are currently spread throughout different business areas to offer customers a broad portfolio of solutions,” said Paulo Cesar Silva, Embraer President and CEO. “We see an opportunity to expand...
Carnival Corporation & plc announced U.S. GAAP net income for the full year 2016 of $2.8 billion, or $3.72 diluted EPS, compared to $1.8 billion, or $2.26 diluted EPS, for the prior year. Full year 2016 adjusted net income of $2.6 billion, or $3.45 adjusted EPS, was higher than adjusted net income of $2.1 billion, or $2.70 adjusted EPS, for the full year 2015. Adjusted net income excludes unrealized gains and losses on fuel derivatives and other items, totaling $199 million in gains for...
UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai will resign in 2017 and so far two candidates came forward wanting to take over the top post in the United Nations World Tourism Organization. One candidate is from Georgia. He is H.E. Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili, Ambassador of Georgia to the Kingdom of Spain, Permanent Representative of Georgia to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). He revealed his plan for the future of UNWTO under his proposed leadership. Statement of Intent and Management The World...
Airberlin has announced today that Thomas Winkelmann (57) will become the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of airberlin group. Mr. Winkelmann will take over as CEO of Air Berlin PLC from 1 February, 2017, assuming full accountability for all group activities. He will succeed Stefan Pichler, who decided to leave the company after working for two years on the strategic turnaround of the group. Mr. Pichler achieved this by entering into a wet-lease agreement with the Lufthansa Group for 38...
New research from Pass My Parcel reveals the lengths we go to, to look our very best. The trend of ‘Boomerang Buying’ – buying and returning several outfits – reflects our increasing move to online shopping as we return more than half of the clothes we buy online. One in five (20%) sneaky shoppers admit to wearing clothes with the label in, only to return them the next day. 18 – 25 year olds are the biggest culprits whereas those in East Anglia are the most honest...
Xenia Hotels & Resorts, Inc. today announced that it has sold the 162-room Homewood Suites by Hilton Houston Near the Galleria, the 148-room Hampton Inn & Suites Denver Downtown, the 178-room Hilton Garden Inn Chicago North Shore / Evanston, and the 195-room Hilton St. Louis Downtown for a combined sale price of approximately $119 million. The total price represents an 11.0x multiple on the hotels’ combined 2016 projected EBITDA. In addition to the sale price, the Company...
On December 12, 2016, the California Supreme Court provided a thorough analysis of San Diego’s ordinance governing the taxability of transient lodging as it relates to online travel companies (OTCs). Under San Diego’s ordinance, the obligation to collect the city’s transient tax rests with “operators” (e.g., hotel proprietors). In re Transient Occupancy Tax Cases1 centers around whether OTCs qualify as “operators” within the meaning of the ordinance and...
Trivago, a global hotel search platform, today announced the pricing of its initial public offering of 26,110,118 American depositary shares (ADSs) representing Class A shares of its affiliate, travel B.V.* (the Company) at $11.00 per ADS. The Company is selling 18,110,091 ADSs, and certain shareholders of the Company are selling 8,000,027 ADSs in the offering. The Company and the selling shareholders have granted the underwriters the option to purchase up to an additional 3,916,517 ADSs at...
The Prague Congress Center announces the international two rounds architectural urban design competition for the proposal of an extension to the Congress Center, consisting of needed exhibition surfaces and of the creation of quality public spaces in the site of the Pankrác square and its surrounding areas. The New KCP international competition is looking for solutions for one of the most complicated, yet one of the most interesting locations of Prague – the space of the Congress Center´s...
After Lufthansa and the shareholders of SN Airholding had agreed on the terms of the complete takeover, Deutsche Lufthansa AG’s Executive Board yesterday decided to exercise the call option for the outstanding 55 percent of the shares. The call option comes into effect by 31 December 2016. The closing of the transaction will happen by the beginning of January 2017. The price mechanism for the take-over of the remaining 55 percent of the shares had already been part of the agreement for the call...
Benchmark, a global hospitality company, announces that Karen Di Fulgo has been promoted to Chief People Officer. Greg Champion, Benchmark’s co-president & COO, made the announcement. “I am very pleased to announce Karen’s new promotion,” said Mr. Champion. “She has led her team with great skill, and was instrumental in the highly successful integration of the Benchmark and Gemstone employee teams in our recent merger. Karen is also a terrific champion of our company’s...
MGM Resorts International today issued the following statement in light of recent developments in Japan: MGM Resorts offers sincere congratulations to the Diet on its tireless and successful effort in passing the IR Promotion bill, which opens the possibility of large-scale, integrated resort development in Japan. After years of study in the region, we believe the opportunity exists to drive significant growth in sustainable travel and tourism — particularly from international segments — along...
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) to establish a framework for cooperation to further boost and diversify Jamaica’s tourism product, was signed on December 13, 2016 by the Jamaica Tourist Board and home-sharing accommodation company Airbnb. Ahead of the signing, at the Jamaica Tourist Board’s New Kingston offices, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett expressed his excitement about the positive impact he expects the partnership to have on the travel experience of visitors and Jamaica’s...
Australian travel provider Corporate Travel Management (CTM, ASX: CTD) is expanding its global footprint with the acquisitions of UK-based Redfern Travel and Australian-based Andrew Jones Travel. The acquisition of Redfern Travel will make CTM one of the top seven corporate travel management companies in the United Kingdom. CTM Managing Director Jamie Pherous said the Redfern Travel transaction would allow CTM to build and leverage scale and is expected to take its consolidated European Total...
Air Partner, the global aviation services group, has acquired Clockwork Research, a leading Fatigue Risk Management consultancy. The company was founded in 2005 by Paul Jackson PhD MSc BSc and Alexandra Holmes PhD BSc Hons and has grown to become a recognized leader in the specialist area of Fatigue Risk Management Systems. Based in London, the company’s core team of specialists is supported by consultants in the USA, Europe, Middle East and Australia. Clockwork Research delivers...
The new team installed at Air Tanzania, and under orders by both President Magufuli and his transport minister to show results or else, has wasted no time to put the two new Bombardier Q400NG aircraft to good use. The airline presently serves Hahaya / Comoros, the only international destination Air Tanzania flies to, three times a week every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, but had notably cranked up domestic destinations. Arusha’s municipal field is now served six times a week, daily with...
The Boeing board of directors today declared the company’s quarterly dividend will increase 30 percent to $1.42 per share. The board also replaced the existing share repurchase program with a new $14 billion authorization. “As our team delivers on our large and diverse order backlog, and drives greater efficiency across our business, Boeing is well positioned to generate increasing cash flows and meet our commitment to provide competitive returns to our shareholders. At the same...
The Emirates Group, comprising Emirates airline and dnata, has published the sixth annual environmental report outlining the Group’s environmental performance for the financial year 2015-16. The report, audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), presents environmental performance data and environmental sustainability initiatives from a range of Group activities covering airline operations, dnata’s cargo and ground handling businesses and other commercial activities on the ground such as...
Benchmark, a global hospitality company, has named Jenny Na regional director of finance operations. Ms. Na will be based in Benchmark’s Home Office in The Woodlands, Texas, near Houston. Kirk Jones, chief financial officer, made the announcement. “It is a pleasure to welcome Jenny to Benchmark,” said Mr. Jones. “She brings important experience in hotel financial operations to our company, and is a terrific addition to our Home Office team.” Jenny Na was previously director of finance for...
French hotel giant Accor invests in Singapore-based luxury hospitality group Banyan Tree Holdings. AccorHotels will invest 24 million Singapore dollars ($17 million). Accor has bought an initial five percent stake in Singapore’s Banyan Tree Holdings as part of Accor’s current strategy to strengthen its luxury hotels portfolio to give a boost to its earnings, with an option to purchase an additional five percent. Luxury hotel operators can earn profit margins that are two to three...
H.I.S. Co., Ltd., a leading travel and airline ticket agency, has announced results for the full year ended October 31, 2016. Consolidated net sales were 523.7 billion yen, down 2.6% from last year; operating income was 14.2 billion yen, down 29.5%; and ordinary income was 8.6 billion yen, down 61.9% due to sharp foreign currency fluctuations. Net income attributable to owners of parent fell by 97.5% to 267 million yen compared to a year earlier. The Japan travel market in 2016 continued to...
South African Tourism has partnered with the Southern African Tourism Services Association (SATSA) on a brand-new market access partnership to develop the SME tourism sector whilst contributing towards transformation. “We are extremely pleased to be part of this initiative because transformation is at the centre of the work that we do here at South African Tourism. Developing and supporting Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) is a big part of this because it is in developing SMEs that we...
Making travel planning easier: from 8 to 10 March 2017 at the ITB Business Travel & MICE Days participants can find out everything about the latest trends and developments in the business travel market. Qualified experts and specialists with a wealth of practical experience will be offering visitors to the ITB MICE Days and the ITB Business Travel Corporate Days worthwhile practical tips on travel policy, measuring success in travel management and ways to reduce costs. From 8 to 10 March...
